Family
by IBHiPer
Summary: [FE7] Everyone knew them as the deadly swordmasters... The Princess and The Demon... But there was a time when they were just family... A time she couldn't forget... [Rated just to be safe]


_I've been registered for awhile now, but haven't posted this story yet... It's sad... Oh well... I don't own "Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword" or any of the characters or places in this story..._

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**"Family"**

_A young girl with dark hair looked around the scarlet plains worriedly._

_"Oh no..." she whispered to herself. "Where am I? Which way is home?" Her eyes watered as she searched for any sign of life. "Father? Mother? Brother?..." The tears then began to run down her cheeks. "...Anyone?" She stood still for a brief moment, before falling to her knees, the tears still staining her face.. "...Why? Why am I lost? Why is this happening?" Her weak body began to shake with her sobs. "...Father Sky... Mother Earth... Won't you please send me someone to lead me home?..."_

_A cool breeze then filled the air. Feeling as if the protectors of the plains had refused her prayer, her sobs grew louder until..._

_"Karla? Is that you?"_

_She gasped as she heard this voice. She turned around around seen an older boy with darker hair then hers. She stared at him for a moment or so, to assure herself that he wasn't just an illusion. She then attempted to rise up and run toward him, but her body was too weak. He noticed this and walked over to her side. A smile spread on his face as he wrapped his around around her._

_"...You can stop crying, now..." he whispered to her. "I'm here now, so there's nothing to worry about..."_

_"B-Brother Karel...!" Karla managed to say through her sobs._

_"It's getting late, though, so I'll take you home. Can you get up?"_

_She tried once again to rise to her feet, but was too weak. Seeing as how her attempt was a failure, she looked up at him sadly._

_"...I see..." Karel frowned back at her. "I guess it's up to me then..." He then sat on his knees behind her, picked her up, and sat her on his back._

_"Brother?" Karla's head tilted slightly as she looked down at him._

_"I'll carry you home." he explained. "Now hold on tight, because I'm getting back up, and I don't want you to fall."_

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder._

_"...Thank you, Brother..."_

-

"...Brother..." Karla sighed. She then suddenly noticed she was sitting in front of a small campfire, as were some other members of the army ran by three Lycian nobles and a young tactian, and other members of the army were scattered around the campsite. "...So it was only a flashback?"

"Karla!"

She turned around and seen a man with brown hair walking toward her.

"Dear Bartre?" she questioned as she noticed his unusual expression.

"Hey," Bartre began as he got closer to her, "is something wrong, Karla?"

"...Why do you ask that?" Karla asked.

"I don't know..." he shrugged as he sat down next to her. "It just seemed like something was bothering you..."

She continued to look at him, not showing any emotion, but wondering why he, the very man who had claimed to be her rival, was so concerned about her.

"Has anyone in the army said or did anything mean to you?" he continued. "If that's the case, then tell me who it is and I'll take care of them! We can't have anyone talking bad about other members of this army! If we did, they'd decide to leave!"

"Has anyone... said anything mean to me?"

As Karla thought about this question, another flashback filled her thoughts.

_-_

_Karla looked around a small campsite, which was occupied by a group of mercenaries she had joined during a battle earlier that day. She observed the members of the army, with one goal in mind._

_'...If this army has traveled to many places on Elibe, then perhaps...' she thought to herself. '...Perhaps they've met Brother... Or maybe... He might even be among them...!'_

_"Hey, you!" a voice cried, interrupting her thoughts. She turned around and seen a young teenager with dark-green hair. "Tell me," he began, "are you a swordmaster? You look like you are..."_

_"...I suppose you could call me that..."_

_"Just as I thought." he smirked. "Well, I'm one too. Would you like to spar sometime?"_

_She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head._

_"...I'm sorry. I'm not very interested in fighting, anyway..."_

_"Oh." he frowned._

_"But..."_

_"But?"_

_"...Tell me..." she began. "...Are there any other swordmasters in this army, or are we the only ones?"_

_"No, we're not the only ones." he answered. "This army just so happens to have Master Karel, too! You've heard of him before, right?"_

_"Karel?" Karla gasped. 'Can it be...?'_

_"Yeah." he nodded. "He's over there." He pointed toward a older man with black hair, who was obviously training his sword skills. "I've heard rumors that he's been looking for some woman..."_

_She looked at the man for a moment, then started running toward him, leaving the younger swordmaster behind._

_"Brother!" she cried as she got closer to him. Karel turned back, looking at her in disbelief._

_"Karla..."_

_"It's really you!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around him. "I've finally found you!"_

_"...I've been looking for you as well..." He nodded, breaking away from her embrace. She looked at him, wondering why he stepped away. "Of the six of us, four are gone." he explained. "You and I are all that remain."_

_"What?" she gapsed. "That... That can't be true...Brother... our parents...?"_

_"Slain by my blade." he answered._

_"Brother, that's... unthinkable...!" she replied, tears forming in her eyes._

_"You're of the same blood, so you must understand. Only one can wield this blade. Despite our father's attempt to protect the sword, our clan died for the very thing they lived."_

_Karla let her brother's words sink in, not knowing how to reply._

_"You weren't worth fighting at the time." Karel continued. "But time changes... everything. Beautiful, Karla."_

_"Brother?" her head titled slightly._

_"You're swordsmanship has become something to behold..." he explained. "...So much that it's hard for me not to strike you down right now..." _

_"You would kill... me too?" she questioned._

_"Eventually, yes." he nodded. "It's you or I, Karla. Only one can wield this sword."_

-

"Karla?"

Karla looked at Bartre as she found herself back in the present. She shook her head as she rose to her feet, her back facing him.

"...There's nothing you can do about it, dear Bartre..."

"But, Karla..."

She looked at him and shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing... no one can do..."

"Don't you know who you're talking to?" Bartre rose up too, rather angry. "I'm Bartre the Brave! Don't you dare underestimate me!"

"Hm?"

"I can help you with whatever your problem is! And I'm willing!"

"... Thank you for your concern..." Karla looked at him, not showing her shock for his words. "...But I must take care of this myself... Farewell."

With this, she walked away from him, to begin searching for her brother.

Many minutes passed and Karla finally found Karel, once again training himself. She hesitated for a moment, looking at the blade of his sword, then continued to walk toward him. Karel heard her footsteps, the turned around and faced her.

"...So... You're ready now, Karla?" he questioned

'He still wants to kill me... Even after I tried to remind him of our past at our last meeting...?' Karla thought silently. "...Yes, Brother." she nodded. "When I fall to you, I'll leave no regrets..."

"We're less then human now..." She looked down at the ground, not noticing his silence. "We're just the same as our swords themselves. We count our days solely by the flesh we cleave... What meaning can there be in such an existence?

He listen to her, not knowing what to do. She now noticed his silence and faced him again.

"Cut me down, Brother. I merely wanted to be with you one last time before I died. Now that we've been reunited, I'm satisfied... So... I'm ready to die now..."

"Karla..." Karel spoke up. "You haven't changed at all... But I... I know I must have, because..."

"...Because?" Karla asked.

"...When I'm with you, I remember... the past..."

"Brother..."

"Go where you will." he replied. "I will not fight you."

"Brother..." she let his words sink in. "Then... What will you do?"

"Well..." he faced the ground.

"I won't stop you..." she replied as she walked closer to him and place her hand on his shoulder. "I doubt you can resist the destiny of our blood for long... So I will wait for you... On the scarlet plain... I'll wait for my brother to come home..."

He looked at her silently. They both stood still for a few moments, before Karla spoke again.

"Well, farewell for now, Brother." she nodded at him before she began to walk away.

"...Karla!" Karel cried before she was too far away.

"Hm?" She turned around and faced him.

"...Thank you for opening my eyes... and..."

"And?"

"...I... I love you, Sister..."

She gasped at his words.

"...I just felt like I needed to say that, since I haven't in so long..."

"Brother..." tears of joy filled her eyes. "...I love you, too..."

_

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Eh... That's that, I guess... I really don't know what inspired me to write this this, but... I did and that's what matters... Anyway, please review! _


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